Ognissanti Madonna
by Giotto di Bondone, 1310
Details
- Year
- 1310
- Medium
- Tempera on panel
- Size
- 325 cm × 204 cm (128 × 80.3 in)
Giotto painted the Ognissanti Madonna around 1310 for the Humiliati church of Ognissanti in Florence. The Virgin sits enthroned with the Christ child, surrounded by angels and saints. Unlike the flat, formulaic Madonnas of Byzantine tradition, Giotto's figures possess weight and three-dimensional presence.
The throne recedes into space, the angels stand at different depths, and the Virgin's body beneath her robes suggests real anatomy. Giotto pioneered these spatial innovations that would develop into Renaissance perspective. His faces show individualized expressions rather than standardized types.
The Uffizi displays this painting alongside the similar Maestà panels by Cimabue and Duccio, allowing direct comparison of medieval and proto-Renaissance approaches.
